Should You Try to Sell or Buy a Home During the Holidays?

Hi there! My name is John Cordeira. I’m a real estate broker in Long Island, New York. Before I dig into this week’s topic, let me introduce myself quickly.

First, I’ve been in Long Island real estate for fourteen years. I love this area because of its close access to both city and rural life. (Being so close to Long Island Wine Country isn’t so bad either!) I first got into real estate because helping other people has been a lifelong passion of mine. This job allows me to help my customers through life-changing events—like buying their forever home. I also love the independence and flexibility that comes with being my own boss.

As part of my desire to help my customers in every way possible, I’ve decided to remodel my blog into something more useful, easier to read, and more consistent. My goal with this space is to provide real-life, actionable advice about the topics pressing on your mind right now. While I can’t physically give each of you all my real estate advice at the same time, I can share it here on a weekly basis. And if you ever have a specific real estate question, please send me a message—I’d be more than happy to answer it.

So with this mission in mind, my first tip for you is about buying and selling homes during the holidays. You may be wondering if this is a wise time to be looking for a house or putting your home on the market. My answer is this: If you want to buy or sell during this time of year, do it. You never know when the right opportunity will come your way.

Buying During the Holidays

There’s nothing wrong with going house shopping during the holidays. As I said above, you really never know when your dream home will pop up on the market, so it’s good to always be looking.

Not as many people will be looking for a house around this time of year, so you’ll have less buyer competition. And since we’re currently in a seller’s market, less competition is great news! However, not as many people will be trying to sell around this time of year either, so there’ll be fewer houses to consider.

As you look around, check out every single house that’s in your price range. Remember this: online listings and photos don’t always do homes justice. Be willing to look at houses in person before saying no. If a house that you’re even remotely interested in comes on the market, make an appointment with a broker to visit it in person right away. I’d be happy to view it with you as soon as you’re ready.

If you’re ready to start looking around, you can search for Long Island homes for sale here.

Selling During the Holidays

Sellers have less competition during the holiday season, since fewer people are trying to sell homes during this time. While there’s fewer buyers during this season too, buyer demand still increases because of the lack of homes for sale.

Fewer purchases happen this time of year, simply because there’s fewer people selling and buying. But the houses that are on the market right now are still selling—there’s no doubt about that. You never know when the perfect buyer for your house will come along. You just have to be patient and not expect offers to come in overnight.

The good news for you is that we’re in a seller’s market right now. If you really want to sell during the holidays, price your house competitively to avoid the next wave of homes coming on the market in the new year. No one knows how long this seller’s market will last, so if you’re willing to sell during this time of year, you should put your house on the market now.

If you’re considering putting your house up for sale, request a free home value report to help you choose an asking price. I’ll bring it to you in person so you can ask any questions you may have about it.

Wrapping Up

I sincerely hope you found something useful in this post. There’s much more like it to come! If you’d like to receive a link to my weekly tips to make sure you don’t miss them, please join my email list. I’ll be sharing more real-time advice about home ownership, buying, and selling during the upcoming weeks.

Your friend in the real estate business,

John Cordeira